Eli5: What’s the difference between a single phase electric current versus a 3 phased one?

Question

Eli5: What’s the difference between a single phase electric current versus a 3 phased one?

In: 18

Answer 1

I always think of old movies I’ve seen of men driving railroad spikes with sledge hammers. One man swinging a hammer goes *clang……clang……clang……clang……* as he drives the spike and swings the hammer again. But sometimes a team of three men will all drive one railroad spike and it goes *clang clang clang clang clang clang* as they swing their hammers in perfect timing and the spike is being hit continuously.

That’s what electric power is doing. Three magnets are “pushing” the power in sequence instead of one magnet “pushing” and then a pause as it draws back to “push” again.